


Miracles

by Katalyna_Rose



Series: Kahlia Mahariel [27]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/M, NSFW
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 08:33:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8742682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katalyna_Rose/pseuds/Katalyna_Rose
Summary: Kahlia has been scarred within and without in the most literal sense by The Pit. The bodily fluids of darkspawn are corrosive, and she will never have children as a result. Now that she is an agent of Fen'Harel, however, perhaps that could change. He is an ancient and powerful being, once revered as a god. Surely if anyone could heal her scars, he could.





	

**Author's Note:**

> NSFW at the beginning. Then it is not anymore.
> 
> This story was written in close conjunction with Vhenan. If you have not read Vhenan then you likely won't understand what is happening in this story, as it is set during the events of Vhenan. Thanks so much for your interest in my writing! Please go read a few chapters of Vhenan and then come back.

Once, Kahlia was a screamer in bed. Her traveling companions had complained, mostly jokingly, about all the noise in the night from the tent she shared with Zevran. After her time in The Pit, she wasn’t a screamer anymore. She had learned to make no noise at all, ever. Any sexual stimulation she felt then was unwanted, painful, distasteful to say the least. She wasn’t a screamer anymore.

That wasn’t to say that she was silent in her pleasure, however. As Zevran lapped eagerly at the wetness between her legs, she moaned and writhed under his careful touch. Her fingers sifted through his golden hair as she made small noises of encouragement and pleasure. When she gasped and tensed up, orgasm sweeping her away, he held her hips gently and moaned as her flavor burst on his tongue. As she came down from the high of sexual release, he rubbed soothing circles across her belly and thighs. When she finally sighed and lifted her head to look at him, he smiled at her, eyes dark with want, and licked his lips thoroughly. He moved up beside her and held her gently. She smiled and nuzzled his neck, making him laugh softly. The sound warmed her, tightening low in her belly. His laughter was sexual all on its own.

When she was sufficiently recovered, she straddled his hips. He looked up her, a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected this, she could see. She smiled down at him and kissed him, tasting herself strongly in his mouth as their tongues twined. It was a different taste than she used to have, she knew. It was tinged metallic at the edges from the damage within her womb, but he’d never complained about the difference. He enjoyed her just as much now as he had before The Pit. She loved him for it, as she loved him for everything he did for her.

Kahlia slipped a hand between their bodies and stroked his erection. He hissed in a breath, breaking their kiss as he accidentally stole her air. Her smile grew with the evidence of his pleasure, her hand wrapped around him. His fingers dug into her hips until he forced his grip to release.

“You can touch me, Zevran,” she whispered against his lips. “You can hold me. It doesn’t hurt. I know it’s you.”

“I never want to frighten you,” he replied softly. She smiled and pulled away to look at him. Disguising the motion as a few smooth strokes of his cock, she angled him for entry. Then she lowered herself onto him, taking his length within her. His eyes shot wide and he moaned loudly. Her lips parted around a lewd moan as he filled her so sweetly. His hands cupped her ass, massaging it as she rocked against him to take his whole length to the hilt.

“You never frighten me,” she told him once he was seated fully within her. She began to move, bringing her hips up and then snapping down, and he clenched his teeth. His hands moved restlessly across her body as he struggled to stay still beneath her, to let her take what she needed without demanding anything in return. She didn’t like that anymore. At first, it had been necessary. She had been too damaged, the memories too recent with too little to fill her head between those horrors and the present moment, but that wasn’t true anymore. She could take pleasure. She could give pleasure. And she wanted him to thrust up into her. She wanted him to take pleasure from her instead of simply lying still beneath her. But he wouldn’t, was too afraid of hurting her or frightening her or causing another panic attack. She needed to drive him wild until he lost control and fucked her. She wanted it, was sure she could handle it. It had been four years since she’d come back to him. It had been three years since she’d first been able to feel pleasure without pain. It had been two years since she first took him into her body after The Pit. Now she wanted him to make love to her the way he once had, with unrestrained passion and worshipful strokes of his body against hers. But he feared to, and she needed to show him that there was no need for fear, not anymore.

She increased her pace, snapping her hips against his, her nails biting into his pecs and leaving little crescents in his skin. She tossed her dark red hair over her shoulder and took his mouth with hers. She nibbled on his lips as his hands swept up and down her sides and back. Then she sucked his lower lip into her mouth and bit, pulling slightly. He let loose a loud moan and thrust his hips up once before forcing himself to still. But it had been such a wonderful sensation that Kahlia cried out softly, releasing his lip.

“Yes, Zevran,” she whispered as she fucked him. “Ahh, yes. Please.” He watched her face, worried but wanting, and gave a gentle thrust up to her as she thrust down. It pushed his length further into her than she could manage on her own, and she moaned, legs tensing around his hips. “Yes,” she murmured again, losing herself. He thrust beneath her, matching her pace gently, bouncing her, and her moans built in volume. Oh, but she was nearing release again quickly!

His thrusts gained confidence, and he pulled her hips as he thrust up, driving himself deep, and they both moaned. Kahlia felt only pleasure at his touch, as she had known she would. She trusted him above all else, wanted him above all others, and he could give her pleasure without any hint of pain.

His breaths came faster as they moved in tandem, as they should. Kahlia could feel the tightening in her belly that meant orgasm was coming fast, and she thrust wildly against him. He held her hips tightly, steadying her rhythm and her trembling body. Her head fell back as she continued to thrust, and then she fell forward across his chest as she came. She cried out, nearly a scream like those she once uttered with each orgasm, trembling and writhing on him, trying to thrust still as her body milked him and he moaned at her ear. Instead of staying still for her, he continued to thrust, his grip on her hips keeping her moving in the right rhythm when she was lost in her own pleasure. Her fingers bit into his biceps and he pressed his head back into the pillows, and she felt when he came. His cock stiffened within her, twitching, and he stilled them both a moment later. She managed to open her eyes to watch his face. His eyes were wide open but glassy and unfocused, his mouth open as he moaned and panted, his muscles trembling as he spilled his seed within her.

This was the part she’d been a little anxious about, the feeling of his seed inside her. Up until this point, he hadn’t come inside of her. She was damaged inside because all bodily fluids of the beasts in The Pit were corrosive. The scars that looked like acid burns all over her body were proof enough of that. When the beasts used her body for their pleasure and released inside, as they often did, it always burned horribly. She was lucky to still have any feeling at all down there, healers had told her. The burning scars had just missed her clit, leaving it unscarred and still available for pleasure, as Zevran had just showed her yet again with his mouth. Her channel was scarred but still had sensation, fortunately. But ejaculation had been something she’d feared more than even the violation of her body because of the burning agony it caused.

This didn’t hurt. This was a feeling of warmth and wetness within. There was no searing fire as he released, and she trembled with relief. It caused no pain, no panic, only a feeling of absolute connection that she hadn’t realized she’d missed so much.

After a few moments, Zevran went limp beneath her, breathing hard like her. He kissed her hair and his arms gently wrapped around her. She felt his tender love as he stroked gently up and down her back, soothingly.

“Are you alright, Kahlia?” he asked once he was able. She smiled and hummed sleepily, his softening cock still seated deep within her.

“I am more than alright,” she told him. She lifted herself up just enough to smile into his worried face. “That was wonderful.”

“And… when I finished?” He knew what the beasts’ fluids had done to her within, knew that she would never bear his children as a result. He knew how much it must have hurt her.

Her smile widened. “I loved it,” she whispered. His eyes widened in surprise. “It was a connection I didn’t even know I was missing. I want you come inside me every time from now on,” she told him. He chucked and kissed her softly.

“I missed it, too,” he confided quietly. She hummed her contentment, and his arms tightened briefly around her.

A moment later she lifted herself off of him, and they both hissed as his cock slipped free of her wetness. She curled into his side, and he held her close. She listened to his heartbeat thrumming strongly in his chest against her ear and was lulled slowly toward sleep by it.

She was more than half asleep when she was compelled to confide in him. “I wish I could have children,” she whispered. “I used to dream about what it would be like, back when I thought I’d marry Tamlen and then again after you finally admitted you loved me after we dealt with Taliesin. Little blonde children with molten-gold eyes and tawny skin. I still want that.” Zevran’s arms tightened around her and his cheek pressed against her hair.

“I want that, too,” he whispered. They were silent for a few moments, mourning what could never be.

“As long as I have you, that will be enough,” Kahlia finally said, and meant it. His arms tightened again, briefly.

“Te amo,” he said.

“Ar lath ma,” she returned.

They were silent for long moments before he spoke again. “You know, there might be a way,” he whispered.

“Hmm? How?” she asked sleepily.

“If the Dread Wolf can restore lost limbs and heal old, deep scars, maybe he can help you, too,” he said softly. Suddenly, Kahlia was wide awake. She sat up and looked down at him.

“Maybe he could,” she said slowly, her eyes wide as she considered the possibility. “We’ve seen him work other miracles. He gave his lover back her arm. I’ve seen the scarred man you’re talking about. I’ve heard it is hardly a pleasant experience, but Creators know I can handle pain. He might…” She trailed off, thinking.

“If it would please you, we could ask him,” Zevran suggested. She looked at him again and smiled.

“Yes. I want to ask him.”

 

* * *

 

“Ah, Fen’Harel, my lord and master,” Zevran said breezily as he and Kahlia approached. Solas and Lyna were taking a walk through the gardens with their son. The child in question was at that moment running down the rows of fragrant, medicinal flowers and sniffing them all. He plucked a couple sprigs of lavender and handed them to his mother, who stuck one in her braided white hair and brushed his hair back to tuck the other behind his long ear. It was half-covered by his dark brown curls the moment she let go of them. She grinned and he trotted away again, still a bit unsteady on his feet.

“Is there something you need?” Solas asked the pair, his eyes never leaving his son and lover. The little boy ran back up, this time approaching his father with a chamomile flower. Solas took it with a tender smile and thanked his son, tucking it behind his ear. The little boy giggled happily and wandered away.

“A private word, if you would,” Zevran said. “It will only take a moment.” Lyna looked up from watching her son greet the gardeners who were weeding a little distance away.

“It’s alright, vhenan,” she said with a smile. “We’ll be here when you return.” Solas smiled at her, then gathered her in his arms and kissed her soundly, leaning her back so she had to grab his shoulders to steady herself. She was breathless when he finally released her.

“There will be another when I return,” he promised quietly, and her pale cheeks flushed. Then the Dread Wolf turned to Zevran and Kahlia, his face impassive and one brow raised, though his professional, distant look was somewhat ruined by his slightly swollen lips and the pink at the tips his ears, not to mention the chamomile flower behind his ear.

Kahlia, envious of their ease with affection, turned on her heel and led the way to a dark and hidden corner in a nearby hallway. It was often used as a lovers’ nook, but it was empty now. She leaned against the wall in a position that would afford her an easy escape should she need to take it. It was simply habit to protect herself like that, even though she knew she was safe at Sa’amal’uan.

“What is it?” Fen’Harel asked, neither his voice nor his manner betraying his emotions. Kahlia looked to Zevran to explain; she had no words.

“We were wondering about your healing skill,” Zevran said softly, a bit uncomfortable. “We know you can restore limbs and heal outer scarring. What about scarring within the body? Can you heal that?”

After a moment’s silent contemplation, Solas said, “I do not believe I have ever tried. I suppose it would depend on where the scarring is located and its extent. I would imagine that to heal such a thing would cause a great deal of pain, unless it is a fresh wound.” His eyes slid over to Kahlia. “You have never approached me to heal your scars,” he observed mildly. “I removed the taint from your blood and thus your status as a Grey Warden when I returned, but you requested no healing. I could remove all evidence of them from you, if there are none more severe than what I can see now. Is that what this is about?”

Kahlia shook her head. “Darkspawn blood is corrosive,” she said, her voice low and rough with emotions she couldn’t allow herself to feel. “Their other bodily fluids are, as well. You know what they kept me for?” A slight nod met her question. “I’m scarred within from it. When I escaped, I was told that I would never bear children as a result. I want to know if you can fix it.”

Fen’Harel closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a moment, and Kahlia thought he might be trying to reign in his temper. It was an odd thought, that her predicament would cause him to nearly lose control of his emotions. She was nothing to him, just an agent, something useful.

When he felt he had himself under control again, Solas opened his eyes and looked at her. “What happened to you is perhaps one of the greatest injustices that my mistakes have caused,” he said softly. She frowned.

“I’m no one to you,” she observed, letting the thought past her lips without meaning to. The Dread Wolf shook his head sadly.

“Perhaps that was true once,” he admitted. “But that time is passed. My vhenan has taught me better. I value you and what you have done for me. But even before I saw you as a person, I mourned for your pain. It should never have occurred.” Kahlia had nothing to say in response. It wasn’t what she expected to hear, for certain. She looked away, her arms wrapped around herself. Zevran waited patiently, though he picked nervously at the hem of his shirt.

Finally, Solas sighed. “I could try to heal it,” he said. “I am not certain that I would be successful in restoring your ability to bear children, but I should be able to heal scarring that causes loss of sensation, at the very least. It will be agony, you are aware,” he warned. “A fresh wound knits together easily, the flesh wanting to close. A scar will fight against the healing because your body has already done its own healing and reacts to my magic as if it is an intrusion, a threat. To attempt to heal scarring within your uterus would be incredibly painful.”

“So hold me down,” she said with a shrug. “It’s not as if I’m a stranger to pain.”

Fen’Harel eyed her, considering. “It will also require a degree of physical intrusion,” he said. “I will need to see where I work on the outside, and it will require skin on skin contact to provide the best conduit for the magic.” Zevran stiffened and opened his mouth to protest, but Solas cut him off. “It would not require penetration of any kind, but you must be bared to me.”

Kahlia eyed the Dread Wolf, thinking. He would be clinical about it, she knew. He had his vhenan, and was not even remotely interested in her. She was his agent, someone he felt responsible for, and someone he felt sympathy for. If Zevran was there with her, she thought she could manage it. She would likely be a mess for days afterward, unable to stand any touch at all. She would likely be forced to hole up in their rooms and lick her psychological wounds, but she would recover.

“Can you let her sleep through it?” Zevran asked suddenly. “Send her into the Fade so she doesn’t have to feel it?” It was an interesting solution, but Solas shook his head.

“I cannot numb the pain the magic would cause, and she would wake the moment she felt it,” he told them. “To attempt such a thing would waste time and energy, nothing more.”

“I’d like you to try,” Kahlia said. “I want to be free of the scars within.”

“And the scars without?” Solas asked with a brow raised. Kahlia shook her head.

“What happened to me cannot be erased or forgotten. Nor should it be,” she said. “The scars cause me no discomfort and do not inhibit my movements, but they warn all who see me to tread lightly. Without them, I would receive the same attention I did before, when I was just a beautiful elf. The only attention of that variety I want is from Zevran. The scars keep others away.” Her eyes slid over to her lover, and she wondered for a moment if he would prefer the scars gone. He gently took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

“The ones on your hips inhibit your movements, mi amore,” he said softly. She frowned. He was right; she couldn’t do a full split anymore because of the scar tissue.

“Would you prefer I get rid of them all?” she asked him seriously. He shook his head.

“I would prefer that you are as comfortable as you can be,” he replied. “I would like the scars on your hips gone only because they cause you discomfort. The rest is entirely up to you. I love you exactly as you are, whether you are scarred or not.” She smiled at him as much as she was capable of in that moment, which was very little. His face shone with love anyway.

“Then I would like the scars on my joints gone,” she told Fen’Harel. “They tug. And I would like for you to attempt to heal my reproductive organs. The rest of my scars I want to keep.” Solas nodded thoughtfully.

“I will need the reserves stored in the crystal,” he murmured, seemingly to himself. Kahlia watched his thoughts flash behind his eyes as he considered how it could be done. “Give me a day to prepare,” he said at last. “I will find you tomorrow when I am ready.” They both nodded. Solas returned to the gardens and his family. Kahlia and Zevran went to get a snack after their earlier exertions. They both buzzed with excitement and nervousness in equal parts as they held hands.

 

* * *

 

Zevran was surprised when Fen’Harel led Kahlia and him up to his own bedroom. Kahlia showed no emotion. She was fully tamped down in preparation for the pain and vulnerability to come. She had been working to wall her consciousness off from her body all morning. Solas had found them just before lunch and recommended that Kahlia not eat until it was done to prevent vomiting. Then he had led the way up to the rooms he shared with Lyna. Lyna herself, as well as the Dread Wolf’s son, were nowhere to be seen, and Zevran was grateful for that.

The almost-royal couple’s rooms were opulent in a subdued sort of way, Zevran thought as he surveyed the area. Soft but simple rugs made of the finest materials that would each cost a small fortune to purchase in Antiva City littered the stone floor, overlapping until they covered nearly the entire floor. They were in soft shades of deep green, copper, burgundy, and earthy brown, like the forest floor in fall. Zevran saw what must be the Dalish queen’s influence in the subtle embroidery of halla and fennec foxes and gentle wolves and the swirling patterns of Dalish blessings on both the rugs and the wall hangings. Copper candelabrum lined the edges of the room, the thin metal strands twisting together to form small trees to hold magical suspended flames on the branches. There were two desks against the west wall, one slightly larger than the other. The larger one was made of dark oak with accents of pine and rosewood in the intricate carvings. It was littered with ancient scrolls and dusty books, a small and haphazard stack of new paper sitting beside a closed inkwell. The smaller desk was lighter rosewood with dark oak and light pine accents, almost the inverse of the other desk. Its top was covered in organized stacks of papers filled with notes, modern maps, and books on the politics and laws of the different countries of Thedas. Zevran liked the symbolism that the Wolf and the Halla’s different desks provided; those desks revealed much about them.

The rest of the walls were lined with waist-high oak book cases, all filled to capacity. There were even some with newer-looking books resting on top of them, likely Lyna’s additions to the massive collection. A crib was tucked between two book cases on the east wall, strewn with silk and cotton blankets in jewel tones of sapphire, amethyst, and garnet. The mobile hanging above the crib held what looked like Elvhen symbols carved from different woods, metals, and crystals.

In the center of the room stood an enormous bed that looked like it had simply grown up out of the floor. The branches that twined together to form the base, the posters, and the canopy were oiled and waxed to preserve and strengthen them as well as add to their beauty. The mattress was thick and strewn with many pillows, the cotton and silk blankets the color of green and blue moss. The Dread Wolf and his Vhenan’s love of the outdoors was plain to see in their choice of furnishings and decorations, as was their love of knowledge.

“Those are some windows,” Kahlia murmured, looking up at the glass ceiling then at the east and west walls, both of which were solid, clear glass. There were no panes of glass, just solid sheets that were impossibly clear.

“They are crystal,” Solas said, heading for the bed. That made Zevran uncomfortable. His Kahlia in the Dread Wolf’s bed? “They serve as a means to store and amplify magical energy. They are the reason we are doing this here; I am strongest here, and I have a feeling I will need the reserves of energy I have stored in the crystal.” Solas paused beside the bed, his hands clasped loosely behind him, waiting for them to approach. When they did, he gestured for Kahlia to lie down.

“Most men at least make an attempt to court me before inviting me to bed,” she muttered as she complied, using humor to deflect her discomfort. Zevran clenched his teeth.

“I have no desire to bed you,” Solas said seriously, and Zevran was able to relax. The Dread Wolf raised a brow at Zevran where he lingered a short distance away. “Perhaps you should lie beside her? Hold her?” Zevran looked to Kahlia for her thoughts on the matter. She considered as she wiggled and pulled the pillows around her like a cocoon. Then she nodded and reached for him. He settled himself on the bed beside her, cocooning them both in pillows, and wrapped his arms around her.

“Are you alright, mi amore?” Zevran whispered. She nodded, but he knew she was lying. She was trembling.

“I need to cast a paralysis on your limbs,” Solas said. “It will not affect your core or your head, but it will keep you from being able to move your arms and legs. It is a precaution against flailing and the fight instinct. Do I have your permission?” Kahlia trembled a little harder, but nodded. Zevran felt the magic brush by him and settle into Kahlia. Her limbs stopped trembling, though her chest continued.

“I need to remove your smallclothes,” Solas said, standing at the foot of the bed. It seemed that he would announce his next step and wait for permission before he took it, and Zevran was grateful. Kahlia’s choice had too often been taken from her, even by those trying to help. She nodded, and Zevran was unable to look as the Dread Wolf reached up her dress and slid her panties down her legs and off. There was a pause, and finally Zevran had to look. Solas was frowning at what he saw on her bared legs and between them. Then he sighed.

“It is likely that I will have to heal your outer scars in another session,” he said at last. “I do not believe I will have the strength for it today.”

“Do what you must,” Kahlia said through clenched teeth. Zevran tightened his arms around her. She turned her head to look at him. “Don’t let go,” she whispered.

“Never,” he told her. She continued to watch him, drawing strength from the sight of him as much as his presence.

“I will touch you now, and begin,” Solas said. He waited for a few moments, and Kahlia finally managed a nod. Out of the corner of his eye, Zevran saw Solas place his hand directly over her vagina, his palm pressed against her entrance. He clenched his teeth again but said nothing. They had agreed to this, after all. The Dread Wolf’s other hand rested on her lower abdomen, just over her womb.

The magic began as a slow build up. Zevran felt it tingle through Kahlia and then across his own skin. It swiftly built in strength, but Kahlia didn’t move or make any noise. Her eyes were locked on Zevran’s, unblinking. As the magic continued to build in force, Zevran began to see little sparks of it at the edges of his vision. Kahlia’s eyes widened and her jaw clenched as the pain passed the point where she could hide it. Zevran’s arms tightened around her.

By the time Fen’Harel’s magic felt like gravity had doubled in force over them, Kahlia was making small whining noises, proof that she was in indescribable agony; she never made any noise in pain. Zevran began whispering sweet endearments in Antivan, anything to help distract her. He wasn’t even sure if she heard him, but he did it anyway. A continuous stream of praise and love fell from his lips as he held her and gently ran his fingers through her hair. He caressed her cheeks as tears began to leak from her eyes, and he wanted to weep with her. He wished more than anything that he could take the pain for her, and he told her so in his whispered words. _Anything for you, amore, anything at all. I would take this for you, endure this for you, if I but could. You are brave and beautiful and strong. I love you more than anything. I will be here with you through it all. You are safe here. You are loved here._ It went on and on.

After what felt like hours, though Zevran could not rightly know how much time had truly passed, the magic in the crystal windows around them began to flow. He hadn’t noticed until that point that the windows shimmered with their magic, but he saw it as it left them. Rather than flowing into Solas and then through him into Kahlia, the magic went straight into her core. She jerked and cried out briefly, and it took all of Zevran’s control to stay still beside her and not attack Solas for hurting her so badly. This was what she wanted, what she had agreed to. She’d known when she agreed that it would be like this. It was her choice, he had to keep reminding himself as he whispered his assurances in her ear. Their eyes stayed locked through it all, though after a while Kahlia didn’t seem to be able to see anything. Her eyes were glassy, her skin ashen, her jaw clenched so tight a muscle ticked in it, and she shook hard enough to make the bed tremble beneath them. Zevran himself wasn’t doing much better in his desperate desire to help her.

Finally, after what felt like years, the magic began to taper off. Slowly, Kahlia relaxed beside him, the pain fading away. By the time the magic was gone entirely from the room, Kahlia was fast asleep and Zevran noticed that the last light of a fading day was disappearing beneath the horizon. It had been half a day that the Dread Wolf had spent healing her, or trying to.

Once he was able to look away from Kahlia’s pale, sweaty face, Zevran looked at Fen’Harel. He had fallen to his knees at some point and his head was bowed. He had pulled Kahlia’s dress down to cover her, and Zevran saw his back heaving with his breaths.

“Did it work?” Zevran asked, his voice a bit hoarse from disuse and tears. For long moments, the Dread Wolf did not move or speak.

“Yes,” he finally said, and it didn’t even sound like him. His voice was ragged and dark, filled with exhaustion so profound that Zevran could not even imagine it. When Fen’Harel lifted his head, Zevran jerked in shock. He looked to have lost fifteen pounds of weight since they began, and his skin was a sickening gray color. His lips were chapped and cracked, his skin dry, his eyes glassy and empty of emotion. He looked like he’d been dead for a week.

“Maker!” Zevran exclaimed softly. “You look-“

“I know,” Solas interrupted. He shook his head slowly. “Take her,” he instructed. “She will likely sleep the night out and most of tomorrow. Feed her when she wakes and be sure she gets plenty of water. The paralysis will wear off before dawn.” Then he fell silent and let his head droop again. He likely didn’t have the strength to as much as crawl into his own bed.

Carefully, Zevran extricated himself from the bed and lifted Kahlia into his arms. Rather than take the stairs that they had ascended, he took her down the servant’s stair at the back of the room. Though it was narrower and he had to go slowly so he didn’t bump her against the walls, it let out into discreet hallways rather than forcing him to carry her through the throne room, which was certain to be full of people at this hour.

Gently, Zevran laid Kahlia in their bed. He removed her sweat-soaked clothing and wiped her skin with a damp cloth. Then he dressed her in her favorite night shirt; it was one of his old tunics that was too worn for him to wear. It was loose on her, and slipped off one shoulder, but it covered her nearly to her knees. He gave her clean panties, then tucked her under only their lightest blanket; he was fairly sure that she would wake in a panic if there was too much weight on her.

Then he slipped silently out of the room. He made his way quickly to the throne room and wandered through. When he found Lyna, she was seated beside her mother and Keeper, bouncing her son on her knee, their meal finished. She was smiling, conversing happily with her family. Zevran felt no qualms about interrupting.

“If I might direct your attention to your betrothed,” he said softly, bending down so that she alone might hear. “He is in dire need of assistance. Bring a healer, perhaps. He does not look well.” She looked up at him, fear in her eyes that he could not assuage. She swallowed hard and looked at her mother and Keeper.

“Come with me to tend him?” she asked them. They both nodded soberly. Zevran turned to leave when her voice stopped him.

“Did it work?” Lyna asked. “Was it successful? Or…” She was unable to finish.

Zevran turned to look at the woman who would be his queen, and saw concern for Kahlia in her face, right beside her concern for her lover. It softened him towards her that she would ask when her lover was in such a state. He knew he would not have had the strength to care if it worked in her position, would likely resent that it had been done at all. She would be a good queen to her people, a beloved queen.

“Yes,” he said, and the weight of his words hit him. “It worked.” She even smiled before hurrying away to tend to her lover.

 

* * *

 

When Kahlia woke, she didn’t know where she was. The room was brightly lit and colorful. Light blue and lavender and sage green surrounded her, and hammered silver was twisted into candelabrum around the room. She was lying in a soft bed made up in silken, cream colored sheets. For long moments, she didn’t recognize any of it.

Then she remembered. She sat up with a gasp and Zevran, asleep in a chair beside a dwindling fire, woke with a start and fell on his ass.

“Kahlia, my love, are you alright?” Zevran asked, picking himself up off the floor. She took several deep, calming breaths and tried to find the answer. She wasn’t in any pain, and the memory of pain didn’t hurt her despite its intensity. The healing had been arguably more painful than receiving the injuries, though that was likely due to the concentrated effect. She’d received the scars over six years, and Fen’Harel had healed them in less than a day.

“I’m thirsty,” she said, and her voice was a hoarse croak. Zevran smiled, relieved, and handed her a waiting cup of water. She drank greedily, and he refilled it for her twice before she was able to slow down. “Did it work?” she asked him? Her voice was still a bit rough, but not nearly as bad as she expected.

Zevran grinned, his eyes misting over. “Yes,” he said, his relief and joy evident in that single word. “You can have children.” For the first time since The Pit, Kahlia laughed with happiness.

**Author's Note:**

> This ties into Vhenan even more than most of my drabbles. It's the lead up for something weird that Kahlia does that I haven't yet explained but will. And it opens a lot of options for Kahlia and Zev that didn't exist before. And it was fun!
> 
> I LOVE the architecture and decor at Sa'amal'uan. Can you tell?


End file.
